Ninchanese Blog

Today, I wanted to present an artist I discovered when I first started working for Ninchanese. Since then, his art has been an ongoing inspiration for some of my work. Jian Guo – or Breathing2004 on DeviantArt and on Weibo – is a Chinese artist and freelance illustrator whose work was noticed online on the web, especially in the Blizzard and Lord of the Rings communities.

Jian Guo – A Chinese artist’s take on virtual and sci-fi world

For good reason too, as his rather unique representations of their worlds really stand out. See what I mean?

Gates of Argonath

Deep into Moria

More than simply beautiful illustrations, Jian Guo – 郭建 in Chinese – reinterprets his favorite fantasy worlds in a style reminiscent of stained glass. He is one of the best Chinese artist of today Sci-FI themes.

Quite impressively, he manages to sum up an entire chapter of Lord of the Rings in a single picture! For instance, look closely at the picture above of the passage in Khazad-dûm, the city of dwarves. From the mines’ entrance to the pursuit of goblins, the appearance of the Balrog and Gandalf’s sacrifice, everything is portrayed! The key moments to depict are carefully selected, all the characters are present, the rendering is rich in details and his use of colors is outstanding.

From Lord of the Rings to World of Warcraft

Jian Guo doesn’t only draw Tolkien’s universe. He also seems to love Blizzard games, especially World of Warcraft, games that I happen to be fascinated by too!

Chaos of Blizzard

See how Jian Guo decided to represent Blizzard Universes’ most important figures? They might look different but he definitely manages to keep their legendary charisma intact! I prefer Jaina Proudmoore, how about you?

Palace of guardian: Ulduar

This illustration of the different Ulduar bosses is stunning. The hierarchy between the different bosses is perfectly respected and once again, the colors are impressive. I love Kologarn and General Vezax. Boy, does it bring back a lot of good memories!

Excellent traditional artwork, too!

Jian Guo’s style isn’t limited to this Stained Glass technique. He can also produce more traditional-style artwork; which remain nonetheless very impressive: